Keep My Skin Close
by Another Writer Who Loves
Summary: John is a normal fisherman making his living and living each day as it comes, not expecting anything out of the ordinary. Until a seal follows him from the water and a woman named Mary comes into his life that changes everything.
1. Chapter 1

There was a seal staring at him.

John stared back at it for a moment before he rubbed at his eyes, looking again to make sure that it wasn't a hallucination from the sun.

No, there was still a seal staring at him from the waters. Its head was poking out a bit over the waves to look at him, not really moving.

John slowly put his net down onto the floor and carefully came to the side, not wanting to scare it away. If anything that did the opposite effect, the seal was letting the water carry it closer to him.

It was cute, he'd admit that. Despite spending the majority of his life at sea he could count on one hand how many times he'd seen seals. They usually stayed away from the boats but sometimes a few would come close enough to be seen.

This one seemed at ease however, seeming content to just stare at him from the waters. Sometimes it would move against the water to stay upright but otherwise didn't move.

Glancing down into his catches he reached down to snag a fish from it, holding it up to show to the seal. It almost seemed like the seal perked up at the sight and moved closer to his boat.

John tossed the fish into the water and the seal dived. He leaned over to watch as best as he could and all he could see was a shadow and a blur before the seals head peeked out again, the fish in its mouth.

He couldn't stop his smile as he watched the seal swallow the fish. It moved up a bit more, almost towards him and the boat. He also swore that there was a smile on its face.

Shaking his head John reached for another fish and tossed it into the water, watching the seal jump a bit to try to catch it

John cast the nets back into the water, taking care to try to avoid the seal as best as he could. It seemed to swim towards the nets curiously but kept away, circling the boat instead.

Trying to focus on his work John couldn't help but keep glancing into the waters as well, smiling despite himself when he saw the seal was still there, sometimes going back down into the water but always coming back up and looking at him.

The seal provided a bit more entertainment than he usually got on his job, whenever he'd bring up another netful of fish he'd find one and throw it back into the water, watching the seal swim to catch it. More than once the seal would throw the fish back onto the boat and then wait for him to throw it again for it.

As the sun started to set John a bit regretfully pulled his nets back completely, looking at the seal once more. It stared back at him before it swam down under the water and then jumped out of the water in a small arc, landing back with a small splash.

John waited for a few moments for the seal to reappear and when it didn't he reeled the rest of his net up and set sail to make port.

Once he got back to shore and stowed his haul in a pack he got off and headed to the shop to stock up for the morning. And if he had the time he'd stop at the bar to get a drink as well.

Unseen was the seal that had followed him to shore, hiding under the wooden boards of the port staring at him. Going back under the water and moving closer to the shore, using the sand to drag herself onto the ground before the seal fur skin slid off of her and a woman picked it up carefully and started towards the town.

**I do not own Supernatural. **

**167/365**

**I do take requests so if you have requests you can send them to me.**


	2. Chapter 2

Mary carefully walked through the town, aware of how unclothed she was. She kept the seal skin close to her body to cover her front and kept to the back of the buildings, trying to not get any attention on her.

Finally she reached what was a familiar tavern and looked side to side to make sure no one was around her. She ran her fingers along the side of the door until they caught at the latch and with a twist of her wrist the door opened.

Slipping inside she closed the door behind her and carefully padded into a back room. She grabbed a spare bit of clothes and pulled them on, carefully putting her seal skin in place of the clothes.

Taking a deep breath Mary turned to the other door and smiled when she saw Ellen come in. The other woman smiled at her and went to her and hugged her tightly.

"Haven't seen you in a while." Ellen said. "Hoped it was you when the bell rang."

Mary laughed softly, pressing their foreheads together. "Missed you too." she said softly, her voice a bit rough from misuse. "I can still stay here?"

"Course you can, my place is always open to you." Ellen said, punching her arm before wrapping her arms around Mary's shoulder. "Come on, lets get some warm food in you, a warm drink, and we'll catch up."

Mary smiled and followed her, still getting used to having legs again. "How's Jo?" she asked.

Ellen fell silent for a moment, shifting a bit uncomfortably. "She's fine, just...she's reached the point where she's snapping at me and," she took a deep breath. "It's almost time for her to go."

Mary slid her hand down until she could hold onto Ellen's hand and squeezed it hard. "She'll be fine, she's just like you."

"I know, it's just hard." Ellen said, entwining their fingers together. She shook her head and managed a small smile. "Let's talk about something else for now, what brings you to land?"

"I missed you?" Mary tried, smiling at her. The smile widened when Ellen laughed.

"Try that again." Ellen told her. "I like the bit of flattery but really, what brings you to land?"

"I saw a man, a fisherman." Mary said softly, fondness in her voice. "I've been watching him for a while and I...I want to know him."

Ellen's smile faded slightly at that, worry taking its place. "A fisherman?" she repeated. "They aren't the most...trustworthy."

"I know, it's why I came to you first." Mary said, glancing back at the backroom that only they knew how to open and get to. "I need some place to keep my skin safely."

"You're always welcome here, you're always a part of my pod." Ellen said, leaning in to press their foreheads together for a moment. "But I'll put you to work and if this fisherman is anything like the others, he'll be over tonight and you'll have your chance."

Mary smiled and pressed into her as well. "I want to see how he'll be on land." she whispered. "He seems nice in the water but they're all different on land."

Ellen nodded and glanced towards the backroom once more. "And remember the most carnal rule, never let him have a chance to take your skin."

**I do not own Supernatural. **

**170/365**

**I do take requests so if you have requests you can send them to me.**


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